Deceiving yourself
by ALLRRPRP
Summary: Not a sequel, but more of a spiritual successor to Taking control. The relationships between Kensou and Athena and Athena and Kyo will change drastically. Please, read and review! This is also my first story with more than one chapter.
1. Chapter 1

Deceiving yourself

Author's Note: This story takes place after the events depicted in "Taking control", and it's placed in the same universe. For the purpose of this story, Athena, Kensou, Kyo, Mai, King and the Sakazakis live in the same town. I know this is not canonical. Athena lives in Osaka, I think… Or somewhere in China, training with Kensou, Chin and Bao. If you want, you can imagine that all of them have come to Southtown for whatever reason. Maybe to prepare themselves for the upcoming KOF tournament. It's up to you.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters portrayed here.

Chapter 1: People who quit smoking usually gain weight

It was a warm afternoon, and King and Mai were sitting together at a café.

"I can't believe you did that, Mai", King said. "I mean, you're the one who said that people should decide such things by themselves. I don't know… I'm afraid that you've done more damage than good."

"I know.", Mai replied. "But you didn't see him last night. He looked so miserable. When I approached him, he covered it up, but I'm sure he had been crying. I just wanted to do something to help him. And he was starting to get drunk, but he also seemed like he was gonna throw up any minute. He obviously doesn't handle alcohol well. I just couldn't let him keep ruining himself like that."

"Yeah.", King agreed. "It would be a real shame for such a promising fighting career to go to waste because of a drinking problem. I'm quite surprised, actually. I thought Kensou was more stable than that."

"I guess last night was the final straw.", Mai said. "It was his birthday, you know."

"And she forgot about it?"

"That's what I asked him, too.", Mai smiled slightly. "But, no, she didn't forget it. He planned to spend that night with her, but he didn't tell her anything, because he wanted it to be a surprise, but she told him she had to go with Kyo somewhere instead, I forgot where, because she had that thing arranged weeks before. She also told him that her schedule is really full and that if he wanted to be with her on that night, he should have told her that at least a month in advance."

"Don't you think it's a little weird that he's taking her somewhere on _his_ birthday?", King asked. "I mean, when it's your birthday, others should do all the work, right?"

"I guess she was just too busy."

"I'll bet. Being a pop star and a fighter sure consumes most of your time.", King sighed. "I don't think you should neglect your friends because of it, though. But I think she had it all planned out."

"What do you mean?"

"She knows Kensou is crazy about her. And she doesn't feel the same, right? Well, maybe she just felt too uncomfortable talking about it with him, so she decided to do something like that, so he would… cool off a little, if you know what I mean."

"I don't know… That would be really cruel, though.", Mai said. "I don't think Athena's like that. I mean, they have practically grown up together, she knows him better than anyone. She must have known how he would react to something like that. And he was really upset last night. I was shocked when I saw him. I mean, that's why I told him all that. I wouldn't have done it, if he hadn't looked that awful."

"Speaking of which, what exactly didyou tell him, Mai?"

"Well, basically, all the things I realized when I broke up with Andy. You know, how life is too short, and that he can't waste it waiting for someone who doesn't love him to change their mind. That he will never be happy if he doesn't move on… That he should find a girlfriend, have a normal relationship and… well, lose his virginity," (at that point King rolled her eyes) "because that's what all the boys his age have done already… instead of being obsessed with Athena for the rest of his life… That it is not good for him… You know, stuff like that. I was tactful."

"If that's what you call tactful, then I sure don't wanna see what you consider tactless.", King said, rolling her eyes again. "You probably messed him up even more."

"Oh, please!", Mai protested. "I'm sure he'll be fine. …OK, I'm not sure. But what was I supposed to do? I couldn't just walk past him and say nothing, and I certainly couldn't assure him that Athena is crazy about him and that she'll profess her love to him in a matter of days!"

"I hope you're right", King sighed. "Kensou is a nice guy, and I would hate to see him struggling with alcoholism, depression or something even worse."

"Certainly, it won't go that far!", Mai exclaimed. "Jeez, now I feel responsible for him. I guess I should talk to him again, before he does anything stupid."

"I agree.", King said. "Besides, don't forget it took you two years to get over Andy. Kensou surely won't become completely happy and carefree just over night. …It's getting late. I have to go to the bar."

"OK. Don't worry, I'll pay.", Mai said when King took out her wallet. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure. At Yuri's party. Be there around 8."

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Next day, Mai got up, took a shower and just as she was getting out of the bathroom, the phone rang. (Author's Note: the words in italics represent the speech of the person calling.)

"Hello?"

"_Hi, Mai, it's me, King."_

"Oh, hi, King! What's up?"

"_I didn't wake you, did I?" _

"No, no, I was just getting out of the shower."

"_Oh, OK then…"_, the other side of the phone went silent.

"King… is there something you wanted to tell me?"

"_Uhm, well… yeah, I guess. I mean, you _know _I'm not a person who likes to gossip…"_

"A gossip?", Mai interrupted her. "Well, I'm always up for some of that! Is it juicy?"

Mai could hear that King was uncomfortable, but it was kinda amusing to her.

"_Sort off… Well, I don't usually go around babbling about other people's personal stuff, but it's not really personal since it happened in my bar last night__…and…"_

"What's the matter, King? Is it about Andy? Did he hook up with someone else? Because, if he did, it's OK, really. You can tell me. I told you I was over him."

"_Uhm… no, it's not about Andy."_

"Oh, come on, King, out with it already!", Mai lost her patience. "You're the one who called me, remember? That means you think I should know this, right? So stop beating around the bush, and just tell me."

"_OK, you're right. Well, it's about Kensou." _

"Really? What about him?"

"_He came to my bar last night and…" _

"Oh, no, he got drunk again, right? Did he get into a trouble? You shouldn't have let him drink!"

"_First of all, I wasn't working behind the bar, Sally was there. I was in one of the back rooms, sorting some things out. I saw him__ before I went there, and he wasn't sitting at a table, even though there were lot of free tables, it was a slow night, you know. Anyway, he sat at the bar instead. And he seemed to be in a very good mood, which surprised me, after all those things you told me yesterday…"_

"Hey, you didn't actually tell him that I told you everything, did you?", Mai interrupted her.

"_No, of course not. I didn't even talk to him, I just said 'Hi' and asked somethig like 'what brings you here?' and he said that it was time to change some things. This didn't really sound good to me, but I didn't have time to chat, so I just went back there. Then, somewhere before midnight, I came out to check on things, and I noticed Sally wasn't there. And then Elizabeth told me that she had gone away with Kensou!"_

"I'm sure you'll reduce her wage for leaving the job early.", Mai laughed.

"_Oh, get serious! Well, that__'s what I wanted to tell you. Do you think they'd… you know?"_

"Spent the night together, so to speak?" Mai was careful not to use any of the more vulgar terms when talking to King. King was always very proper. "I don't know. I don't think that they have gone out just to talk about poetry or something."

"_Yesterday, you told me that you will talk to him before he does anything stupid. Well, I think he did it last night. But, still, have a word with him. He must be very insecure. I mean, he obviously tried to use Sally as an instant rebound. You should have foreseen that. You know how people who quit smoking usually gain weight? They need to have something in their mouth so they replace cigarettes with food. This is something like that. If he gave up on Athena, it must have left a huge void in his life. He needed something to fill that void with, and he, obviously, wanted to do it right away. Now you should do something, talk to him, explain him that it won't make him feel better. Don't just encourage him to stop doing the thing that consumed most of his time without offering any alternative. And don't tell him I told you about last night." _

"All right, I'll do that, as soon as I see him. I mean, I don't know when that'll be. I don't have his number and I don't know where he lives…"

"_You'll see him tonight", _King interrupted her.

"What?", Mai asked, confused.

"_I asked Robert to invite him to Yuri's party. I didn't tell anything to Robert. Kensou will maybe tell him something himself, I don't know…" _(Author's Note: Robert and Kensou know each other and are presumably buddies, but not really close friends, because they have a special pre-fight intro in some of the KOF games.)

"You're such a mastermind, King", Mai said ironically.

"_I know. Unlike most of my friends…" _

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It was 1 pm and Kensou took a glance at himself in the mirror. He wanted to make sure that he didn't skip a button on his shirt and that the rest of his clothes were fine, also.

"Well, I'll be going now.", he looked at Sally, confused, and started walking backwards towards her apartment door.

"Uh, do you want me to call you a taxi?", she asked and couldn't help but smile. That question was such a cliché.

"Uhm, no, I'm fine. …Well… uhm…", he stuttered.

"Yes?", Sally smiled slightly and raised her eyebrows.

"What?"

"Nothing. I thought you were about to say something to me.", she said, still with a smile on her face.

"Oh, yeah. Well, I… uhm… I don't want you to think that… I mean, I didn't do this last night because of…"

"Listen, you don't have to explain anything to me.", she interrupted him gently. "I did that last night because I wanted it, and it was nice. But that's it. We're not dating now, or anything. And you don't need to feel like you used me. I wasn't the one that was drunk last night, remember? "

"Yeah, I know", Kensou rushed to say, blushing in the process.

"So, if you want, we can do it again sometimes, just don't think it's more than it really is."

_Yeah, I won't make that mistake again, _Kensou thought bitterly. He turned around and got to the door. "So, I'll see you around?"

"Sure.", Sally smiled. "Bye."

"Bye."

Kensou heard Sally close the door behind him as he headed down the stairs. He felt dirty.

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That evening, Mai rang the doorbell at the Sakazaki house.

"Mai!", Yuri greeted her cheerfully and gave her a hug holding a glass in her hand that was filled with something Mai assumed was vodka. Loud music was coming from the inside of the house. "Come on in!", Yuri invited her. "Don't worry, we managed to get the old geezer (Author's Note: Takuma) out of the house for tonight."

As soon as Mai took off her jacket, she was approached by King.

"Well, so nice of you to drop by.", King said in a playful voice. "Now, get to work. He's in the living room, sitting next to the window, and as far as I've noticed, he hasn't talked to anyone for more than 30 seconds."

"Well, look who's being Miss Bossy tonight.", Mai said, complaining.

"Hey, you wanted to help him before, so help him again. If you don't do something he'll be bored to death."

Mai entered the living room and said 'Hi' to a few people there. She noticed Kensou slouched near the window.

"Hi, what's up?", she greeted him as she sat next to him.

"Oh, hello, Mai", he said without enthusiasm.

"Is there something wrong? You look down."

"No, nothing.", he replied. He was obviously in no mood for conversation.

"Well then, why are you sitting here all by yourself? You should be having fun with others."

"I'm just tired, that's all.", he lied.

"Look, I've been meaning to talk to you about that conversation we had the other night. I just want to make sure that you have understood me properly. You know that…"

"I really don't feel like talkinig about it now.", he interrupted her.

"Very well then, you don't have to say anything, just listen to me. I shouldn't have told you those things back then, I mean… I should have been more tactful." _Damnit, I hate it when King's right, _she thought. "I should have guessed that after what I told you, you would just run off and do something stupid." He looked at her quizzically. "I know about you and Sally", she answered his unspoken question.

"How? Did King tell you?"

"Well… yes. I told her that I wouldn't tell you that she was the one who told me about it, but you figured it out yourself, and, right now, I'm not feeling creative enough to come up with a convincing lie. Anyway, I can understand why you did it. It's like with people who quit smoking. They usually gain weight. (_I'm sure glad King can't hear this_, she thought.) You know, replace one bad habit with another. But it doesn't make them feel better. And I'm sure last night didn't make you feel better." Kensou started to blush slowly. Mai pretended not to notice that. "You know, if you have decided to stop waiting for Athena to change her mind, and I assume you have, it has certainly created a void in your life. And I know that you need something to fill that void with. But you can't do that instantaneously. It requires time. A lot of time, actually. I needed two years to get over Andy completely, and I needed most of that time to deal with myself. To face the fact that I was deceiving myself. You also need something like that - time to get things straight with yourself. No instant solution is going to help you. And I want to apologize if anything I said last time… about losing virginity and all…" Kensou's face was now completely red. "…if that provoked you to do some of the things you did last night."

If it was at all possible, Kensou blushed even more.

"Once again, I'm sorry. My intention was to help you, and, somehow, I don't think I achieved that. Well…", she grabed a pen and a piece of paper from a nearby desk, "this is my number. I see you're not very talkative tonight, but if you ever feel like talking, just give me a call, OK?" He didn't say anything, but he nodded his head a little. Mai got up and started walking away, but she turned to him again: "And, if you're feeling really bad tonight, just go home. This bunch of happy, noisy people is just gonna get on your nerves, and you'll be feeling even worse." Kensou gave no sign that he heard her.

She left the living room and got to the kitchen. King was there, holding a glass of wine. "So, what did you tell him?", she asked.

Mai stood next to her, put an arm around her shoulder, and said: "Pour me one, will ya? …Well, I had no inspiration, so I had to quote a certain mastermind friend of mine a lot. I felt really bad." "Oh, and King?", Mai said as King was pouring her wine.

"Yeah?"

"Next time I try to interfere in other people's lives… just kick me."

"No problem", King smirked.

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OK, so this is the end of the first chapter. I'll try my best to post the second (and probably the last) chapter as soon as possible. In it, the focus will shift on Athena and the way she perceives this situation. Meanwhile, please review! Cheers!


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Second chapter's up! Please, read and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters portrayed in this story.

Chapter 2: Too conceited to admit defeat

Athena and Kensou have just finished their training.

"OK, I'll see you", murmured Kensou and headed quickly for the exit.

"Sie, wait!", called Athena. He stopped reluctantly.

"Yes?"

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Uhm… sure…"

"Is there something wrong? I've noticed you've been acting differently lately."

"…Nothing, really."

"Come on, Sie. I know you. I can see there is something. Are you still angry about that thing on your birthday?"

"No… I was never angry about that…"

"Well, I can see there's something wrong. Please, tell me. Is it something that I've done? Come on, I'm your friend, and whatever it is, I would like us to work it out."

Kensou just stood in front of her for a while. When he finally spoke up, he was stuttering:

"Yeah, well… you said that you're my friend. The thing is… I don't want us to be friends anymore…" He turned to walk away.

"Hey, hold it right there!", she shouted. He stopped, but he didn't turn around. "And I would appreciate if you would turn around. You should at least look at me when I'm talking to you", she said angrily. He turned to her slowly, but he didn't look at her, his eyes were fixed on the floor. "What's wrong, Sie?", she asked in a more gentle manner. "We've known each other for so long, I think I deserve an explanation."

Kensou remained silent for a moment. This time, when he started speaking, he wasn't stuttering. Words were pouring out of him as if he wanted to let it all out as soon as possible. "Listen, you know… you know the way I've been feeling about you all these years. I don't look at you as a friend and I could never be a true friend to you, because… because I will always want something more. And you let me know clearly that I could never have more than friendship. But our friendship… was never just that… at least for me it wasn't… and I… I…", he started stuttering again, but this time quickly. "I can't be your friend and… well, I've already said that… Damnit, I'm repeating myself. It's best for me to just distance myself from you… At least for a while, you know… Until I get over you… And it will probably not happen soon, maybe even never…", he ran out of breath, so he stopped talking briefly.

"Well, I knew you felt something like it, but I think you're being too extreme. I mean, we've been friends for so long, surely we can work something out? You were a great friend to me, and I would really hate to lose you."

"No, Athena, no… We can't work anything out. Don't you realize, as long as I'm around you, I'll never be able to move on. I need to move on with my life. Being around you is just not good for me. So, I think it would be best to keep our relationship strictly professional. We will be teammates and that's all."

"I never realized I was affecting you so badly. No matter what you say, I still consider you my friend, and I want what's best for you. If you need to get away from me for a while, I guess I can understand that. But I still think you're overreacting a bit…"

"No, I'm not. You probably haven't noticed that, but I've been neglecting every other aspect of my life besides training and spending time with you. I barely have any friends… I don't count Bao… I need to have my own life… Life not connected with you… I want to become a whole person. And I can never be that if I am defined by being your friend and teammate. I know that's how other people define me, at least. Hell, I've been defining myself that way sometimes. And it's about time I changed something about it. As much as I lov… khm, liked you, I can't be defined by you anymore. I should be independent, if you know what I mean. Now, I really have to go. I'll see you around, I guess…"

"Well, I really don't know what to say…"

"Actually, it's pretty simple. Loving someone who doesn't love you is not good for you, Athena. If you realize that that person will never change their mind, you should move on. If you don't, then you're just wasting your time. And I have already wasted too much." Kensou wasn't a bad person, but, like most of us, he had a mean streak. And that mean streak had awakened at that moment. "And so have you, Athena." For the first time during that conversation, he was looking Athena in the eyes.

"Beg your pardon?"

"You… with Kyo. You are also wasting your time with him. He will never look at you the way you look at him. Do you really wanna spend the rest of your life waiting for him?"

"What? No! I mean, yes… I mean… You have no right to talk like that! It's not like that between me and Kyo…"

"If you say so… I should really go now. Bye, Athena. I'll see you next week on our training." He left the room quickly before she could say anything to stop him.

Athena was just standing there, stunned into silence.

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Fifteen minutes later, Athena was walking down the street, fuming.

_How dare he!_, she thought, completely infuriated. _How dare he tell me what should I do with _my _life! What the hell does he know about me and Kyo?! That bastard…_

"Oh, my God, it's her!", screamed a voice.

"You're right! Hurry up, she'll get away! Athenaaa!", shrieked another voice.

The voices snapped her out of her thoughts. _Oh, not again… _The last thing she needed now was a couple of over-excited fans. _Hey, remember… You must always have time for your fans. They're the ones who keep your career going._, she reminded herself. With what seemed to her as an enormous amount of self-control and willpower, she managed to turn around, put a fake smile on her face and greet the fans.

"Oh, hello… Sure, I can give you an autograph… Yes, I'll sign that picture for your little sister, too… Oh, thank you, I'm so glad you liked that outfit… So, you like my music? …Oh, that's so sweet.", and so on and so forth, it took her about ten minutes to get rid of the two teenagers politely.

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When she finally arrived home, she just sprawled on her bed. After the encounter with her fans, she didn't feel angry anymore, she felt nothing. She was drained completely and there was a void inside her chest that kept spreading.

_Is my life really a lie? __The image of myself that I've had over all these years… that I tried to show to the world… is it really based on an illusion? Is this life worth living like this? _

_Oh, stop it!, _she reprimanded herself mentally. _Listen to yourself, you sound so cheesy. Of course it's worth it! You have a great life! Any girl (and more than a few boys) out there would trade places with you in a heartbeat! So what if you sometimes have to deal with a few boring fans! The advantages certainly exceed the disadvantages!_

_Really? Having my entire life arranged by managers, not having time for friends… Really, how many friends do I have? Kensou is not one of them any more… Bao, I guess… But, he's just a kid. How many girls who are my age, who I can call true friends? …None. My entire life is just singing and training, going on tours and fighting in KOF… Not to mention that I've never had a real boyfriend. Kyo? I don't know… Could Kensou be right? _

_OK, stop getting on my nerves and pull yourself together, NOW!_, she switched to her angry mode again. _Your life is fabulous, and Kyo loves you. He just hasn't realized it yet… You are ten zillion times prettier, smarter, more interesting and more popular than Yuki will ever be. When he sees that, he'll dump her and hook up with you for sure!_

_That's just wishful thinking. Come to think of it, he's never really done anything to show me that he likes me, he's always been pretty arrogant. Maybe I should forget about him and find a guy who really cares for me… Maybe I've been deceiving myself all along. Maybe I should face the facts and change something, like Kensou…_

_NO!, _she screamed mentally. _Kensou is a loser! There's no way I'll do the same thing he did! He's just a wimp, that's why he has given up on me! If he wanted me, he should have tried harder. Not that I would ever be with that loser, but still… And now he's jealous of what Kyo and I have and he wants to ruin it! _

_What exactly _do_ you and Kyo hav…_

_Shut up! I am Athena Asamiya and I _always _get what I want! Kensou was right about one thing - I'm wasting my time! I should change something. But not give up like a total loser! Kyo will be _mine… She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She quickly got up and went to her closet. She needed to put on something different. _I'll show him… I'll show all of them who I am. _

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Later that day, Kyo Kusanagi dialed a phone number. (Author's Note: words in italics represent the speech of the person on the other end.)

"_Hello?"_

"Hi, Yuki, it's me, Kyo."

"_Oh, hi, honey, what's up?"_

"Listen, you won't believe what just happened. I still can't believe it myself. Athena just came to my place and she was acting so weird, as if something had gotten into her. She had this blouse that I've never seen her wear before, and it revealed her cleavage… It was so bizarre, like she was trying to copy Mai Shiranui… And then she gave me this speech about how we were ment to be together, how she loves me… She said that she had always loved me and that I should dump you and be with her, and then she tried to kiss me. I was in total shock!"

"_Oh, my God, that is so not like Athena. __…I'm not even that angry, I'm more worried about her. What did you do?" _

"Nothin' much. I pushed her away when she tried to kiss me and told her to get out of my house. I also told her that she's weird and that I want nothing to do with her. And then she went away."

"_Jeez, Kyo, you didn't have to be so hard on her…" _

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Would you rather have me cheat on you with her?!"

"_No, of course not.__ It's just that I've never seen her act like that before. Maybe all that stressful way of life is finally getting to her." _

"Whatever. Let's not talk about her anymore. Listen, do you wanna go see a movie tonight?"

"_Sure…" _

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When Athena returned to her apartment, she slammed the door shut so hard that a few pieces of plaster fell off.

"I hate Kyo Kusanagi! I hate that f…" (Author's Note: At this point, Athena let out a string of curses, which I will not mention here, so that I wouldn't have to change the rating of this fic to M. It's that kind of language that usually makes people ask: "Do you kiss your mama with that mouth?") When she was done with the obscenities, she screamed again: "And I hate Sie Kensou! This is all his fault! I'll make him pay for this! And I certainly won't let him in my team again! I hate him, I hate them all!" Infuriated, she grabbed a glass from a nearby table, and threw it across the room. Shards of glass flew everywhere. _I probably shouldn't walk over there until I have somebody to clean it up, _she started making a mental note, but her rage took over again. She hit the wall in front of her with her fist, using all of her strengh, and soon regretted it. The pain was quick and sharp. She let out a deafening scream. She leaned her back on the wall and slowly slid down into a crouch. She just couldn't take it any more. She started crying. Long howls seemed to tear their way out of her chest. At times like these, most regular girls her age would call their best friend to comfort them. But she had noone to call. Kensou wasn't her friend anymore… and neither was Kyo. Who could she call? Master Chin? Of course not, she could never talk to him about something like this. In spite of millions of people around the world adoring her, Athena Asamiya was all alone…

The sun was setting, but she had no energy or desire to get up and turn on the light. After a couple of hours, the room was completely dark. Nothing could be seen anymore, but bitter, muffled sobs could still be heard from the place she was crouching.

THE END

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OK, that's all. You might think that this kind of behavior is out of Athena's character, but that's the way I see her. Very cheerful, perky and polite on the outside, but with tons of frustrations and pent-up emotions on the inside, that are just waiting to erupt. It's because she's rarely able to do what she wants and always trying to fulfill somebody else's expectations of what she should be like. Having to constantly maintain the clean-cut pop-idol image, you know… And before I get flamed by some off you Athena-fans, you should know that I actually _like _Athena, her work and character, so to speak. Why did I do this to her then? Well, it's for her own good. She needs to face the truth, no matter how unpleasant it might be. Until next time, guys, please, read and review! Yours truly,

ALLRRPRP


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